Leeds United are on a winless run of five Premier League games, and it is becoming increasingly clear that they left themselves short in certain areas of their squad.
The Whites signed seven new players in the summer, but by the end of the transfer window, it was clear they needed to do more to strengthen their forward line.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the talisman up front, but when he is not scoring, Leeds are lacking difference-makers in the final third who can change games for Daniel Farke.
Leeds needed more player sales in the summer to fund more incoming transfers, and one proposed permanent departure now seems under serious doubt.
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Lucas Perri continues to remain inconsistent in Italy
Leeds loaned out Lucas Perri to Torino towards the end of the summer window, with the Italian club holding a £12m option to buy.
However, the Brazilian’s performances have been far from convincing. He struggled in the first few games and conceded a couple of silly goals.
Torino put him through a proper training regime during the last international break to get him up to speed, and his performances improved once the league season resumed last month.
However, Perri is struggling to get over his inconsistencies and produced another below-par performance in the 2-0 defeat against Frosinone on Sunday afternoon.
He looked good initially, but his performance faded as the game wore on.
Local media outlet Toro News wasn’t pleased with the Brazilian’s performance and gave him a 5/10 rating.
They deemed him too ‘careless’ and inconsistent with the ball at his feet.
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Lucas Perri will likely return to Leeds in the summer
Torino are unlikely to pay the £12m required to sign Lucas Perri permanently, particularly given their spending habits and the goalkeeper’s inconsistent performances. The Brazilian has shown glimpses of quality in Italy, but he has also produced the kind of costly errors that make committing such a significant fee difficult to justify.
They spent approximately £24m on transfers in the summer, making a £12m goalkeeper signing a substantial investment. Even clubs with greater spending power in Serie A tend to distribute their budgets across several positions rather than commit such a large proportion to one player.
Perri is already 28 and hardly an unpolished prospect who can be signed cheaply and developed over several seasons. His performances have fluctuated, with recent criticism following a poor display against Como.
Torino might appreciate having him, but paying £12m for a goalkeeper who has yet to establish consistency looks like a gamble they may be unwilling to take.
